Laughter; an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic

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Laughter; an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (1911)
Henri Bergson, translated by Cloudesley Brereton and Fred Rothwell

Translators' Preface

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From the French, Le Rire. Essai sur la signification du comique (1899).

Henri Bergson4149726Laughter; an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic1911Cloudesley Brereton and Fred Rothwell

LAUGHTER

AN ESSAY ON THE MEANING
OF THE COMIC

BY

HENRI BERGSON

MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE
PROFESSOR AT THE COLLÈGE DE FRANCE

AUTHORISED TRANSLATION
BY
CLOUDESLEY BRERETON
L. ès L. (Paris), M.A. (Cantab)
AND
FRED ROTHWELL
B.A. (London)

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
1911

Copyright

First Edition October 1911
Reprinted December 1911

CONTENTS
PAGE
Translators' Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		v
CHAPTER I

The Comic in General—The Comic Element in Forms and Movements—Expansive Force of the Comic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		1
CHAPTER II
The Comic Element in Situations and the Comic Element in Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		67
CHAPTER III
The Comic in Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .		132

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1937, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 86 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Laughter; an Essay on the Meaning of the Comic

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